Hawaii Congressman Neil Abercrombie seems to be getting a lot of traction in Washington since Democrats returned to power in the House.

Last week, Abercrombie’s subcommittee took an ax to former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s Future Combat Systems initiative, slicing a quarter out of the program’s budget request, according to the Washington Post. Abercrombie, as chair of the Air-Land Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, is getting lots of attention for his role in the cuts.

In addition, Abercrombie stepped up as one of two House sponsors of a bill to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, joining California Rep. Jane Harman.

In a statement quoted by the web site The Raw Story, Abercombie said:

“The Bush Administration has been able to ignore the hypocrisy in preaching about human rights to other countries while detainees who have been accused – but never charged – are denied fundamental justice in Guantánamo. However, the rest of the world has not ignored it.”

Good for Neil! Now in his 9th term in the House, if I count correctly, Neil has always been an effective inside player and now has a chance to display his abilities.

Disclosure: I was a senior staffer in Neil’s Honolulu City Council office in 1988-90 before his run for successful Congress.